FullAuto Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Interview over on RPS. RPS: Do you feel like people are, when they get this, going to feel that they've got it instead of X-COM, or do you think it's going to be more of a companion almost? Jake Solomon: Yeah, I think it's very personal...if you got ten of us in a room, say it's you, me and eight other guys just like us, right, and you said "ok, I want your number one feature that cannot be changed or it's not XCOM", somehow we would walk out of that room with twenty five features, because when you ask people, what is XCOM, they'll say "it's this", or "it's that", and a lot of times you'll find yourself agreeing and you're like "Yes, that is core to the experience", and so I have to interpret that and my team has to interpret that for ourselves and say "It's these elements which we think make the core experience of XCOM", but obviously things are going to change. I think it is more of a companion, it's certainly not something that you'd play and say "this is completely different". I guess it would be another game in the series, that narratively occupies the same space. They did all kinds of interesting things with, maybe not Terror From The Deep, except made it brutally harder and made the cruise ships four times longer than any human could realistically make, but they did awesome stuff with Apocalypse and that's the funny thing, I don't even think we're as far away as Apocalypse is. I think we're just taking the original, and it's variations on a theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowBlade Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Great interview! Much less rambling about the same things. Could've used new screenshots, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnKill Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Two more parts to the interview coming soon!!! I want to know about 2 things: 1. Destructible environments.. can you take down an entire building or will it hover in place if you annihilate the 1st floor? 2. Squad limitations. Those are my only 2 hot topics at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 1. Destructible environments.. can you take down an entire building or will it hover in place if you annihilate the 1st floor? Can't see them having hovering building levels any more. I think it's either going to be a collapse job, or you're only going to be able to destroy 90% of the environments, with critical pillars etc being indestructible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowBlade Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 We'll likely see proper destructive environments, with collapses and all. Why not? The original game couldn't manage that since I bet it would have required an unreasonable amount of processing to pull off. Not at all on modern computers and the current state of physics modelling in gaming. I very much doubt it was a design choice in UFO Defense to have floating building chunks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silencer_pl Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Apocalypse for the win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Voyager Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I still have trouble believing Fireaxis picked up X-COM and is making a new game. It looks so... surreal. I'll wake up though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnKill Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I still have trouble believing Fireaxis picked up X-COM and is making a new game. It looks so... surreal. I'll wake up though. Yep, same here, its like I've given up hope on this one long ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Death and Chrysalids RPS: So how much of that have you been able to recreate or expand on? Jake Solomon: Well, we certainly still have terror missions, some of the mission types obviously we Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azrael Strife Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Death and ChrysalidsSo the Silacoid is out. I was expecting something on the Chryssalids, from the title, but he doesn't even mention them, just that he's not denying anything about them. While they're at it, they can remove the other ugly fluffy alien, I don't recall the name, it was similar to the Silacoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 The Silacoid and Celatid (IIRC?) are not exactly great losses. I remember playing X-Com for years without encountering them, and when I did, I was distinctly underwhelmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowBlade Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I had predicted they'd be cut. If the Celatid's not scrapped as well, my guess it'll be remade into something more unique and interesting. The second part's good as well, but a bit more rambly than the first. It's a shame Jake seems to have reached the limit of what he can reveal, but I'm still looking for the last bit of the interview. The TU controversy, which I find a bit exaggerated, will be addressed, as well as random mission generation and mod support, both of which I'm deeply interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Voyager Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 A LOT more rambly. Interesting to read from a dev understanding point of view though. Why can't we get a final answer on why there is only one base? Oh, who was it that said it would be nice to have this base animated? Could he please give me seven random numbers from 1 to 39? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silencer_pl Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I am guessing they might have picked the Idea from UFO: ET - there you had one base where all things mattered - all other bases were just your radar and interception coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I am guessing they might have picked the Idea from UFO: ET - there you had one base where all things mattered - all other bases were just your radar and interception coverage. This has been confirmed, AFAIK. One main base, with secondary bases for interceptors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnKill Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 A LOT more rambly. Interesting to read from a dev understanding point of view though. Why can't we get a final answer on why there is only one base? Oh, who was it that said it would be nice to have this base animated? Could he please give me seven random numbers from 1 to 39? I feel like they talked about the 1 base thing in some other interview.... mostly the same thing most of us are thinking, the extra bases we built were more for radar coverage and specialization like science base or whatever. Its really not a big loss I don't think, the main base is where the action is at anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowBlade Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 This has been confirmed, AFAIK. One main base, with secondary bases for interceptors.And purchaseable satellite coverage in place of the old listening posts. Did anyone really need to have more than one main base in the original? Sure, sometimes you needed extra manufacturing/research capacity elsewhere, but that's only because there weren't enough building tiles at your HQ. The main purposes of secondary bases are fulfilled in XCOM:EU with the sat coverage and interceptor hangar mechanics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Voyager Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 And a hugely improved survival probability if your base was attacked... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NKF Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 The choice of being able to build multiple bases was always handy when you wanted to decentralise your operations so that you don't put all your eggs in one basket, make the bases easier to defend, and it let you continue if your main base is wiped out in an attack. I too mostly used one main base and a bunch of listening/intercept outposts, so wouldn't mind a one-base game too much. But will the new game allow you to set up staging outposts where you can set up a B-team to look after the other half of the globe, or act as a backup when the A team is too busy to handle all threats? If that's not possible, then the NewSkyrangers are going to be really busy ferrying troops around the globe. - NKF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowBlade Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 The choice of being able to build multiple bases was always handy when you wanted to decentralise your operations so that you don't put all your eggs in one basket, make the bases easier to defend, and it let you continue if your main base is wiped out in an attack. I too mostly used one main base and a bunch of listening/intercept outposts, so wouldn't mind a one-base game too much. But will the new game allow you to set up staging outposts where you can set up a B-team to look after the other half of the globe, or act as a backup when the A team is too busy to handle all threats? If that's not possible, then the NewSkyrangers are going to be really busy ferrying troops around the globe. - NKFHaving descentralization like you suggest doesn't really make bases more defensible, since you have to divide your pool of veterans. The aliens, on the other hand, will hit hard wherever they choose, and they'll likely face a less experienced contingent of your troops. If anything, it makes your bases more expendable, which doesn't go along with my doctrine. I see base defense as a reverse Cydonia scenario: if they attack me, they'll have to defeat my finest. As simple as that. Putting all your eggs in one basket is, indeed, the most defensible option. As for deployment and transport concerns, well, the truth is we don't know how the new mechanics work in synergy with the single-base concept. The fact it could make things tricky in the context of the original game doesn't mean much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted February 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Having descentralization like you suggest doesn't really make bases more defensible, It eliminates the need for base defence missions altogether. With decentralised functions, bases can accommodate far more defence modules, making them impervious to attack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NKF Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 And if the defenses don't completely hold them away, a good layout that forces aliens to move shoulder to shoulder through the halls, explosive weapons and using some strategy to work around your no-veteran limitations. That said, even the best laid plans can go horribly wrong but that's part of the many charms of this series. Just as long as the new One-Base experience is rich and well thought out, it won't really matter if we can are in command of dozens of bases, one base, or a single VW van. - NKF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Part 3 is up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Well that was all kinds of awesome. I think from all I've read so far that they would have to try very hard from now until it's released to make it a bad game. Obviously we've not seen actual, live gameplay (wondering if that'll be reserved for E3 to be honest) but everything else sounds good. The more they expand upon what will have an impact on your struggle, the better it sounds - from critically wounded soldiers suffering penalties, to deciding you have to take a mission - perhaps even knowing it's a hopeless cause - because you need that country's support. It certainly sounds like they're adding in more depth for your characters and the country's your protecting - all these improvements sound like they should certainly make you feel more attached to the people you command and the places you'll be protecting. Just in case anyone missed it, there was a soldier screen from an earlier thread where you could not only change the name, but also their look. Not sure there was much discussion about that (or whether people particularly noticed?), but I think this is genius - not only do you name the squad after your friends, but you can make them look like them too - all the while strengthening the bond between you and your troops. This might sound a bit morbid, but I hope that when they die, they die well. I would love to see some theatrics, a splutter of blood as they go down and then that lovely cinematic zoom effect we've seen for certain shots zoom in on your players as they express their anguish if they lose their cool. At the same time though, I'd love to have some tough, gruff characters on the squad too. The more they have their own little personalities the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnKill Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Oh yeah all good stuff so far, naturally the change from TUs to what they're doing is still the biggest concern, but I feel like these guys love the game as much as I do, and if they feel its for the better, than who am I to argue I LOVE the idea that your base is alive and people are moving around it, not just random figures, but YOUR specific soldiers that you see. Also love the idea of a memorial where all the fallen soldiers are listed... So far its just awesome on top of more awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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